Connect with us

Published

on

Abbott Chairman of the Board and CEO Robert B. Ford delivers a keynote address at CES 2022 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 6, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ethan Miller | Getty Images

Abbott Laboratories CEO Robert Ford took the stage at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday to discuss the company’s expansion into a new market: consumer wearables. 

The health-care company offers a range of products but derives the bulk of its revenue from medical devices and diagnostic tools. Its 15-minute rapid Covid test was a boon for the company, bringing in a staggering $7.7 billion in sales in 2021 and $8.4 billion the following year, a sizable portion of its total 2022 sales of $43.7 billion.

But as the pandemic has slowed so has testing. During its second quarter, Abbott reported $263 million in Covid test sales, a big drop from the $2.3 billion it reported during the year-earlier period.  

Abbott knew Covid-testing rates would eventually decline, so Ford said he wanted to ensure the company continued investing in research and development for its other offerings, like its medical devices. 

For instance, Abbott produces a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) called FreeStyle Libre that patients can use to manage their diabetes. The device is a small circular sensor that is applied to a patient’s upper arm, dispensing with the need for finger pricks that glucometers require. Abbott’s most recent model, the FreeStyle Libre 3, can measure glucose levels in real time for up to 14 days. 

Margaret Kaczor Andrew, a partner and research analyst at William Blair, told CNBC’s Erin Black in May that Abbott has around two-thirds of the global CGM market. FreeStyle Libre alone generated more than $1.3 billion in sales for Abbott during its second quarter, according to the company’s earnings report

The device has also attracted a surprising new demographic. Ford said people without diabetes have expressed interest in using FreeStyle Libre as a way to learn about how their bodies react to food and other daily activities. 

This set the stage for Abbott to try and capture a new market for wearables. 

“We always believed that we could take this platform that we developed for diabetes and expand it beyond diabetes,” Ford said. 

“There’s a much larger population in the world that is actually healthy,” Ford added. “We’re going to continue to solve medical problems, but I think we also need to look at the healthy that want to stay healthy, and develop products and solutions and services for them.”

In January 2022, Abbott announced a new wearable sensor called Lingo that’s currently available in the U.K, and Ford said he hopes the device will come out in the U.S. next year. The device tracks glucose levels and pairs with an app where consumers can access a personalized coaching algorithm that offers recommendations around diet, sleep and exercise.

Abbott believes Lingo will help people better understand their metabolism, and ultimately make healthier decisions. 

Abbott Chairman of the Board and CEO Robert B. Ford delivers a keynote address at CES 2022 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 6, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ethan Miller | Getty Images

Since Lingo was first announced, Ford said, Abbott has been thinking about how to present the data to consumers in a way that is both simple and actionable. He said he wants people to be able to take advantage of the latest technology without feeling intimidated or that they need a medical degree to get the most out of it. 

But for a company that’s spent the last 135 years working closely with doctors, researchers and other health-care experts, simple messaging can be a challenge. 

“How do we get out of our own way?” Ford said. “Can you imagine your grandmother understanding that or your uncle understanding that? No, you don’t. So we have to change our way of how we talk.” 

Ford added that since the company is exploring a new market, there will be kinks to work out. He said Abbott will have to evaluate the efficacy of its marketing, whether it can keep consumers engaged and whether it is targeting the right audience, among other things. 

Ford is well acquainted with the challenges around ease of use.  

Before serving as CEO, Ford worked as chief operating officer and as executive vice president of medical devices at Abbott. In 2008, he helped launch the company’s first CGM called FreeStyle Navigator, which was expensive, bulky and hard for patients to use. FreeStyle Navigator was discontinued, and Ford was sent back to the drawing board. 

He said the experience forced him to learn to better communicate with consumers, which has helped inform his approach at Abbott going forward. 

This time around, Ford said he wants consumers to know that Abbott understands the unique technological moment that the health-care industry is in — that it’s now easier than ever for people to access data about their own health.  

“We get that there’s a revolution ongoing right now between health care and tech, and whether it’s AI, whether it’s connectivity, whether it’s the action of different hardware devices, whether it’s phones, tablets, glasses, etc., we get that, we can see that.” he said.

Abbott is planning to submit its Lingo filing to the Food and Drug Administration by the end of this year. 

Continue Reading

Technology

Klarna takes on banks with debit card as it diversifies beyond buy now, pay later

Published

on

By

Klarna takes on banks with debit card as it diversifies beyond buy now, pay later

Klarna is synonymous with the “buy now, pay later” trend of making a purchase and deferring payment until the end of the month or paying over interest-free monthly installments.

Nikolas Kokovlis | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Swedish fintech Klarna — primarily known for its popular “buy now, pay later” services — is launching its own Visa debit card, as it looks to diversify its business beyond short-term credit products.

The company on Tuesday announced that it’s piloting the product, dubbed Klarna Card, with some customers in the U.S. ahead of a planned countrywide rollout. Klarna Card will launch in Europe later this year, the firm added.

The move highlights an ongoing effort from Klarna ahead of a highly anticipated initial public offering to shift its image away from the poster child of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) trend and be viewed as more of an all-encompassing banking player. BNPL products are interest-free loans that allow people to pay off the full price of an item over a series of monthly installments.

“We want Americans to start to associate us with not only buy now, pay later, but [with] the PayPal wallet type of experience that we have, and also the neobank offering that we offer,” Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told CNBC’s “The Exchange” last month. “We are basically a neobank to a large degree, but people associate us still strongly with buy now, pay later.”

Klarna’s newly announced card comes with an account that can hold Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC)-insured deposits and facilitate withdrawals — similar to checking accounts offered by mainstream banks.

Notably, Klarna Card is powered by Visa Flexible Credential, a service from the American card network that lets users access multiple funding sources — like debit, credit and BNPL — from a single payment card. It’s a debit card by default, but users can also toggle to one of Klarna’s “pay later” products, including “Pay in 4” and “Pay in 30 Days.”

Klarna is pushing deeper into a fiercely competitive consumer banking market. The U.S. banking industry is dominated by heavyweights such as JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America, while fintech challengers like Chime have also attracted millions of customers.

While Klarna has a full banking license in the European Union, it does not have its own U.S. bank license. However, the firm says it’s able to offer FDIC-insured accounts through a partnership with WebBank, a small financial institution based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

WATCH: CNBC’s full interview with Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski

Watch CNBC's full interview with Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski

Continue Reading

Technology

AI, trade and $24 socks: Inside the inaugural SXSW in London

Published

on

By

AI, trade and  socks: Inside the inaugural SXSW in London

SXSW had branding all around the neighbourhood of Shoreditch in London.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

South by Southwest (SXSW) may be a well-known event in the United States, but it certainly hasn’t reached the same level of recognition in Britain.

“What’s that?” asked a pedestrian who was passing by a SXSW London sign.

SXSW is a festival held in Austin, Texas, every year that brings together big names in music, film, art and technology. The organizers have brought the event to London for the first time this week, and CNBC took at look at what’s going on.

CNBC’s Tania Bryer moderated a discussion with London Mayor Sadiq Khan who during an opening speech made the pitch for the city as a “hub for talent, trade, tech and innovation.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks with moderator Tania Bryer during the “Opening Remarks – Welcome to SXSW London” panel discussion on the first day of SXSW London 2025 at The Truman Brewery on June 2, 2025.

Jack Taylor | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Khan took veiled swipes at the U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade policies and pitched London as open for business.

“So at the time when there’s so much uncertainty and political turmoil across the pond, defined by an inward looking mentality, I’m going to reach out to international investors, businesses and creators to say that London offers you the opposite,” Khan said, according to Deadline.

SXSW is being held in various venues across the creative neighborhood of Shoreditch which is also close to Old Street, a key tech hub in the early days of London’s startup scene. Shoreditch was taken over by SXSW London branding, from murals to signs on lampposts.

SXSW had murals all over Shoreditch, London, which advertised the event.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

Big names are in attendance, such as “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner and actor and musician Idris Elba. On the tech front, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis spoke, as did Thomas Wolf, co-founder of artificial intelligence firm Hugging Face.

$24 socks and free chocolate

Shoreditch Electric hosted some talks during SXSW London. The courtyard was a place for attendees to sit in the sun.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

The venue was an industrial-style, exposed brick building. Just outside was a coffee bar, which was perfect for the sunny weather in London on Monday.

I then walked over to the Truman Brewery, where the main stage of the conference was. Outside the entrance were lots of food trucks and, of course, big brand displays from sunglasses firm Ray-Ban and electric car company Polestar, which had live music performances throughout the day.

Polestar and Ray-Ban took the chance to advertise their products during SXSW London, 2025.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

Then there was the official merchandise store which was selling a pair of SXSW-branded socks for £18 ($24) and a T-shirt for £30.

After a quick security check, I was in the Truman Brewery in time for a session from Hassabis. I decided to try to watch it on stage but the line to get in was long, even about half an hour before the talk. So I decided to watch it on a screen in the media lounge, which had pretty decent sandwiches.

The entrance to the Truman Brewery where the main stage of SXSW London was located.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

AI everywhere

AI was certainly a big theme, with companies like Hugging Face, Google DeepMind and even Wayve, a U.K. driverless car startup backed by SoftBank, discussing the future of the technology.

Hassabis spoke about artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is generally understood as AI that is smarter than humans. He said AGI would be “bigger” than the Industrial Revolution and the internet in terms of its impact on society. He also warned about the need to develop this technology responsibly.

The DeepMind founder also said that over the next five to 10 years, AI tools are going to “supercharge technically savvy people who are at the forefront of using these technologies, but combining it with creativity and other skills.”

“I think they’re going to be able to achieve superhuman things,” Hassabis said.

There was a long queue of attendees waiting to get into the next session where Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis was about to speak at SXSW London, 2025.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

There are lots of big names performing throughout the week, including R&B star Tems — but they’re far too late in the evening and don’t sync up with my 5 a.m. wake-up call. So you’ll have to look on social media to see what kind of vibe those events have.

Continue Reading

Technology

Uber delivery chief Gore-Coty is leaving after almost 13 years at ride-hailing company

Published

on

By

Uber delivery chief Gore-Coty is leaving after almost 13 years at ride-hailing company

Courtesy: Uber Eats

Uber said Monday that Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, one of the company’s longest-tenured top executives and the head of is delivery business is leaving after almost 13 years.

Gore-Coty joined Uber as a general manager in France in 2012, and worked his way up to become vice president of mobility for the Europe and Middle East region four years later, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was named senior vice president of delivery in 2021.

“It’s hard to imagine Uber without Pierre, because there hasn’t been much Uber without Pierre,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement that was part of a regulatory filing. “As one of our first employees, he was a driving force behind our global Mobility expansion and stepped up to run Uber Eats just weeks before the first Covid lockdowns.”

The company didn’t say what Gore-Coty plans to do next.

Uber also said that Andrew Macdonald, the company’s senior vice president of mobility and business operations, will become chief operating officer, reporting to Khosrowshahi. Macdonald, 41, will oversee the company’s global mobility, delivery and autonomous businesses in addition to “key cross-platform functions like membership, customer support, safety, and more,” the filing said.

Gore-Coty is one of 11 people listed on Uber’s executive team page. Macdonald is the only one who has worked at the company longer. He joined in May 2012, four months before Gore-Coty, according to LinkedIn.

“These last nearly 13 years have been the ride of a lifetime,” Gore-Coty said in the statement. “It was a true team effort, and I’m so proud of what we’ve built and the impact we’ve had on daily life in cities around the world.”

Uber shares were little changed in extended trading after closing on Monday at $83.64. The stock is up 39% this year, while the Nasdaq is about flat.

Last month, the company reported first-quarter results that beat on earnings but missed on revenue. A month earlier, the Federal Trade Commission sued Uber, alleging that the company engaged in “deceptive billing and cancellation practices” related to its Uber One subscription service.

In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Khosrowshahi characterized the lawsuit as “a bit of a head-scratcher for us.”

WATCH: Record earnings and policy uncertainty will slow the equity rally.

Record earnings and policy uncertainty will slow the equity rally, says Evercore's Julian Emanuel

Continue Reading

Trending